Tag: Sudan

When Did Sudan Become Subservient?

Most Americans have no idea of the violence and problems brewing in the North African nation of Sudan…..and that is why I am here….to inform and educate.

I ask the question in the title because of something I read in the news……

The head of Sudan’s ruling military council was given a “green light” by Saudi Arabia and its regional allies to crack down on protesters camped for weeks outside the military’s headquarters, a Sudanese military expert has told Middle East Eye.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, the well-informed expert said he understood that plans to destroy the protest camp in Khartoum had been discussed during recent visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC).

“The breaking up of the sit-in was one of the main points on the agenda that was discussed,” the expert said. “Unless he got the green light from his regional allies he would not have been able to commit such a crime.”

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-crackdown-saudis-gave-green-light-assault-protesters

When did the Saudis become the “masters”?

The blood thirsty Saudis have made sure that the Sudanese government will need their help……the Sudanese government is being punished by the African bloc for their ruthless handling , thanx to the Saudis, of the protesters……

The African Union (AU) on Thursday suspended Sudan until the establishment of civilian rule, intensifying global pressure on its new military leaders to stand down after the worst violence since Omar al-Bashir’s fall in April.

Ethiopia – where the continental bloc is based – planned a mediation effort, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed due on Friday to meet members of both the ruling Transitional Council (TMC) and the opposition, a diplomatic source said.

Both sides had been in talks over a civilian-led transition to democracy. But their already faltering negotiations collapsed when security forces stormed a sit-in protest camp on Monday, killing dozens of people.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-sudan-politics/african-bloc-suspends-sudan-demanding-end-to-military-rule-idUKKCN1T71C7

It appears as it can get worse for the protesters in Sudan for they have vowed to continue their onslaught…..

Sudan’s pro-democracy movement vowed Thursday to press its campaign of civil disobedience until the ruling military council is ousted and killers of protesters are brought to justice, as security forces fanned out across the capital and appeared to thwart any new demonstrations.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/sudan-protesters-keep-campaign-until-082350161.html

Sudan analysis…….

Sudan’s stability is integral to the interests of several countries, some of which are interestingly rivals with one another. The GCC and its Egyptian ally are competing with Turkey for influence in the country, which is essentially an extension of the ongoing “GCC Cold War” between Qatar and the rest of its notional partners in the bloc over Doha’s patronage of the Ankara-allied Muslim Brotherhood that the remaining members of the organization and Cairo regard as terrorists. Bashir had previously allowed Turkey to rebuild the historic port of Suakin, which Egypt and the GCC consider to be part of a secret plot to set up a Turkish naval base in the Red Sea and has fueled speculation that they might have backed the early stages of the Color Revolution as part of a campaign of pressure to get him to reconsider this deal. Russia and China are also Sudan’s close partners, too, with the former seeing it as its point of entry into the rest of the continent and one of the three states pivotally comprising its “African Trilateral” while the latter needs the country for its envisaged bi-coastal “Sahelian-Saharan Silk Road“.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/sudan-chaos-unleashed-color-revolution/5680154

The Saudis are inserting themselves through out the region…..their war on Yemen, their blockade of Qatar and their shady deals with Israel….and now they move into North Africa.

Time for them, the Saudis, to be slapped down…… their arrogant meddling is causing more problems than it solves.

Is Sudan Next?

AS an analyst of conflict I am always on the outlook for the next possible conflict that could drag the US into participation……after reading various reports and watching situations the possibility of Sudan as the next region of conflict…..

My friends at Middle East Monitor has issued a warning….

With the recall of Sudan’s Ambassador from Egypt, the closure of the Eritrean Border and a recent visit by Turkey’s President in which a Turkish takeover of a strategic island port fuelled uncertainty, it is safe to say that Sudan has moved closer than ever before to direct military conflict with its neighbours. The country now finds itself preparing its strategy to deal with major geopolitical issues facing the region.

The relative calm was arguably first disturbed by the Sudanese President’s visit to Sochi on 23 November last year, where he met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Omar Al-Bashir’s brief encounter set off a chain of reactions adding disquiet to the already tense atmosphere between his country and Egypt, and served to worry Sudan’s neighbours across the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180108-sudan-is-preparing-its-strategy-for-a-conflict-with-its-neighbours/#.WlOmYY-kAtc.

I will keep an eye on this situation.

Where The Hell Is South Sudan?

The joy of opening presents has passed and now we must face reality once again…..

A perfectly good question.  How many Americans realize that to help curb the violence in Sudan a vote was taken and the Southern part of the country became an independent nation of South Sudan in 2011.

From its inception there have been problems but that is expected after all it is the oil rich region……..the problems burst into gunfire about a week ago……with different sides wanting to gain control of the area……

So why am I writing about a common occurrence in African nations?

Well it seems that things have gotten so bad that the State Department has said that Americans in South Sudan need to get the Hell out…..and to assist have sent in troops to expediate the movement of Americans and there is where the problem is…….

Newser) – At least four US service members were wounded today when rebel gunfire hit two US military aircraft responding to the outbreak in violence in South Sudan. The aircraft were heading to Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and scene of some of the nation’s worst violence over the last week. One American service member was reported to be in critical condition. Officials said after the two aircraft took incoming fire, they turned around and headed to Kampala, Uganda. From there the service members were flown on to Nairobi, Kenya for medical treatment, the officials said.

The aircraft were there as part of an attempt to evacuate Americans from the area, reports CNN. South Sudan President Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, said this week that an attempted coup triggered the violence now pulsing through South Sudan that has left hundreds dead and raised the prospect of a full-blown civil war. He blamed the former vice president, Machar, an ethnic Nuer. But officials have since said a fight between Dinka and Nuer members of the presidential guard triggered the initial violence late Sunday night. Machar’s ouster from the country’s No. 2 political position earlier this year had stoked ethnic tensions.

You may say…”not good that Americans were killed because of the situation”……and you would be right!

(Newser) – Washington is getting in deeper: About 150 US troops are heading toward South Sudan today to help secure the US embassy and evacuate more Americans from the war-torn country, military officials said. The troops will likely first travel to Djibouti via Spain, CNN reports. The move follows a letter from President Obama to Congress yesterday saying he would take “further action” to protect US interests in Sudan. The State Department flew out 15 Americans yesterday from the flashpoint town of Bor.

South Sudan officials say that Bentiu, the capital of an important oil-producing state, has been seized by rebels. “Bentiu is not currently in our hands,” the government tweeted. “It is in the hands of a commander who has declared support” for former Vice President Riek Machar. An official said that People’s Liberation Army troops were headed for Bentiu, as well as Bor, to take control. President Salva Kiir blames the crisis on a power grab by troops committed to Machar, his longtime rival.

And there you have the beginning of a possible American excursion into yet another third world country…..if we are not careful this could blow up in our face…..

Some may say I am an alarmist…..could be….but I have been in the service of my country in place that began with far less loss of American life…..I worry and I hope that more American soldiers  do not have to put their lives on the line for far away places that could care less……

A side note…….the problems in Central African Republic could add to the violence in South Sudan because of the closeness of the two countries….something to watch.

Genocide Charges For Pres. Of Sudan

It is about flipping time!

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is expected Monday to charge Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with crimes against humanity for allegedly directing the campaign of rape and murder that has plagued the Darfur region for five years.

The charges, which would come as the result of an investigation requested by the United Nations Security Council, could also complicate U.N. peacekeeping missions in Sudan. Critics have long said such prosecutions risk inciting additional violence, though many human-rights groups support them.

Getting Mr. Bashir to trial in The Hague won’t be easy because the court has no police force. Countries would be obliged to turn him over, but the U.N. peacekeeping missions in the region aren’t charged with apprehending fugitives.

An ICC indictment would restrict Mr. Bashir’s travel and could “curtail his ability to commit more crimes,” says Dismas Nkunda, chairman of the aid-group coalition Darfur Consortium in Kampala, Uganda. But he also says that Mr. Bashir has the financial and political means to stay put and ignore the court. Sudan, like the U.S., hasn’t signed up to the ICC.

Thousands of Sudanese rallied in support of Mr. Bashir Sunday, snarling traffic in the Sudan capital, Khartoum. A statement from the ruling party, carried on state television, called the expected indictment “irresponsible, cheap political blackmail” that would bring “more violence and blood” to Darfur, according to wire-service reports.

Could Blackwater Have A New Gig?

Mia Farrow, the actress and activist, has asked Blackwater, the US private security company active in Iraq, for help in Darfur after becoming frustrated by the stalled deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force.

Ms Farrow said she had approached Erik Prince, founder and owner of Blackwater, to discuss whether a military role was either feasible or desirable.

She acknowledged that many people might have reservations about Blackwater being involved in Darfur – the company’s men were involved in the fatal shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians last September – but said the threat of violence to refugees meant all options had to be explored.

Mr Prince hasraised the possibility of a role in Darfur for security companies.

Ms Farrow, who represents Dream for Darfur, a human rights group, and other lobbyists this week lambasted the UN Security Council for its “shameful” failure to halt killings in the Sudanese province.

The activists, who claim China has used the threat of its Security Council veto to prevent tough sanctions on its ally, urged the UN to stand up to Khartoum in the deployment of a 26,000- strong force. They said the Sudanese government had abused its right to approve contingents in an effort to ensure only relatively poorly trained and equipped African troops were assigned.